Manhunt suspect who sent manifesto to Trump captured in Wis.

The Wisconsin man who sent a manifesto to the president earlier this month has been captured, the Beloit (Wis.) Police Department announced via Twitter on Friday.

Author:
WUSA Staff

Published:
9:31 AM EDT April 14, 2017

Updated:
9:31 AM EDT April 14, 2017

The Wisconsin man who sent a manifesto to the president earlier this month has been captured, the Beloit (Wis.) Police Department announced via Twitter on Friday.

"CAPTURED! Awesome work to the men and women who worked this case. Thanks for all your patience with this case. - Sgt Flanagan," the tweet from @BeloitPolice1 read about Joseph Jakubowski, whom law enforcement authorities have been searching for since April 4.

CAPTURED! Awesome work to the men and women who worked this case. Thanks for all of your patience with this case. - Sgt Flanagan pic.twitter.com/1vBQKN6fTK

A nationwide search was launched last week for Jakubowski, 32, who is suspected of stealing firearms from a Janesville, Wis., gun shop, including an automatic weapon, and threatening to use them on public officials or a school, according to the Rock County Sheriff's Office.

The FBI is offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to Jakubowski's location.

Investigators have said Jakubowski mailed a 161-page manifesto to President Trump that contains extensive, rambling screeds against the government and religion. While there are no specific targets listed, he does suggest he’s willing to carry out violent acts. Officials have said Jakubowski doesn’t affiliate himself with any particular political party in the manifesto.

According to a news release from the Rock County Sheriff's Office, the Vernon County (Wis.) Sheriff's Office received a report Thursday about a suspicious person on a farm near Readstown, Wis., about 9:30 p.m. CT.

Officers made contact with the suspicious person at a campsite shortly after 6 a.m. CT. The person was taken into custody without incident and identified as Jakubowski, the Rock County Sheriff's Office said.

On Thursday, someone who said they were Jakubowski sent a letter threatening violence Easter Sunday against churches about 19 miles northwest of Milwaukee, the Waukesha Sheriff's Office said.

The threat of unspecified violence against unspecified churches in Sussex, Wis., was sent through the U.S. Postal Service, but authorities have not been able to substantiate the threat nor its author, according to a news release from the Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said Thursday they have received no information to suggest the fugitive is getting help to evade capture.

Janesville Police Chief David Moore and Rock County Sheriff Robert Spoden said authorities have received more than 700 tips in the nationwide search for Jakubowski, who has been at-large for a week. The tips have largely come from local and state residents, with a few originating as far away as Texas and Oklahoma, they said.

Spoden said investigators can’t rule out Jakubowski is being aided by accomplices, but “right now we just don’t have the information or evidence that anybody is assisting him.”

Authorities continued their calls for Jakubowski to turn himself in, noting that nobody has been hurt.

“Sometimes we make a mistake, and those mistakes we can correct and work through,” said Spoden. “So far, what Joseph has done is correctable, and we encourage him to do the right thing for his community and his family.”

An unnamed associate recorded Jakubowski mailing the manifesto on the afternoon of April 4. A few hours later, Jakubowski broke into a Janesville weapons store, stole 18 guns, then set his car on fire, authorities have said.

A portion of the document was published Thursday by WTMJ-TV, which said it received a copy from a source who had the manifesto before Jakubowski’s disappearance. In it, Jakubowski said the government and religion are brainwashing citizens, and he wants his death “carried out by the hands of the president” on live television, the station reported.

Authorities said they don’t know who mailed the portion, which contains 36 of the 161 pages. Investigators have obtained two copies of the manifesto: the original mailed to Trump; and a version provided by a cooperating source.

“We believe that there are other copies out there from some of our interviews,” Spoden said. “Again, we don’t know the number and we don’t know who has them. Frankly, I’m surprised that he didn’t send some to (the media).”

Although the manifesto contains anti-religion screeds, Spoden encouraged residents to attend Easter Sunday services if they feel comfortable. Some additional patrols will be activated at churches in the Janesville area, he said.

The FBI has been working to create a profile of Jakubowski to determine his motive and possible future moves. That work has not turned up any information to suggest Jakubowski’s actions could have been predicted, authorities said.